


Backstage Bandits

by isshikisenpai



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Theatre, Gen, M/M, other shiratorizawa and nekoma characters to come in later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-04-19 18:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4756547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isshikisenpai/pseuds/isshikisenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inuoka the eager set designer meets Semi the graceful lead actor</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stage Fright

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this au: 'i have to do a literal three second quick change and you were assigned to help me out of this dress and into another one cmon lets go' from [here](http://jean-bo-peep.tumblr.com/post/122309231853/guys)
> 
> but more like a few minutes rather than 3 seconds ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“Hey Inuoka-kun! Can you come over here for a bit please!” Goshiki called out. While he was still struggling to remove Semi’s shirt for his costume change, Goshiki glanced up to see his startled face.

“Whoa wait, Tsutomu what are you doing?” Before Semi could get a reply, or even a chance to calm down, Inuoka had run over, albeit having to leap over set pieces on the way.

“OH! Is Semi-san stuck?” 

“Yeah, can you help him out of his shirt and into the other costume? It’s right there - on the table behind you. Thanks, Inuoka-kun!!” Goshiki replied.

As Inuoka turned to thank Goshiki for the instructions, he saw that he was already running off. Inuoka had really just wanted a moment to stall before helping Semi, who unfortunately, was simply standing there half-dressed. The shirt was stuck firmly around his shoulders and he looked almost like a hunchback with his arms hanging awkwardly. Inuoka wanted to laugh, and he almost did, but Semi's torso was a far greater distraction than he had anticipated.

He couldn’t help but recall the first time they met; the day the cast were having their measurements taken by the costumes team. Inuoka had merely been watching as he worked on constructing parts of the set, when the chaos began to break out.

\-------

"Tendou-san, can you please stay still." Shirabu had been trying to take his upper body measurements for almost five minutes, but it was near impossible with Tendou moving around constantly and playing with all the sewing equipment. He had even removed his shirt and proceeded to strike poses in front of the mirror wearing small costume pieces he had found.

“Hey Kenjirou, what do you think of this? You can call me: THE MIRACLE NURSE.” Tendou was wearing a light pink nurses coat that barely fit across his broad back and he was flicking his leg up and down with each new pose. Despite being quite a few metres away from where the costumes team was working, Inuoka could easily hear most of the conversation and was laughing at Tendou’s many poses, as well as being amazed at his apparent flexibility. Shirabu, on the other hand, thought it might be best to give up taking his measurements and instead make estimates, when Semi walked over from one of the office rooms.

"You know he won't listen that easily; just keep going with your work and he'll stop eventually."

"Okay, thanks." Despite sounding like an agreement to do so, Shirabu put down the measuring tape and noted down some numbers in his notepad. Semi was taken aback and could only scoff, but he saw that the sizes he had written down for Tendou were surprisingly right.

 _Is that the other lead actor?,_  Inuoka thought. He had only heard snippets about who had been cast alongside Tendou; even then it was more about Semi’s previous works and less about his appearance. He did, however, hear from the co-director Kuroo that the tips of the actor’s hair were dyed black, a contrast to the rest of his much lighter hair. Putting down his tools, he moved a little closer, trying to see if the new face was in fact the talented actor he had hoped it would be. At that moment, Semi turned around to speak to Tendou, and Inuoka was finally able to see his face.  

“My god, he’s beautiful.” he mumbled. Just as Inuoka had anticipated, the actor’s hair was partially dyed, but it was rather Semi’s alluring presence that had blown him away. All he could do was stand and watch as Semi moved around while he spoke to Tendou. With his newly-found audience member, Tendou was throwing on more props for Semi, and rather than Tendou’s voice, it was now Semi’s laughter that was echoing throughout the back hall. Calling him an ethereal beauty almost seemed over the top, but looking at Semi smiling with his cheeks slightly flushed, Inuoka couldn’t help but believe it. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of Semi acting on stage; lit by the spotlight, covered in the most beautiful costumes, and performing with the utmost grace and confidence. That was a sight Inuoka was buzzing with anticipation to see.

“Whoa, Inuoka, are those the lead actors?” Lev yelled out beside him. Inuoka jumped; he hadn’t even noticed he was there, nor did he have a chance to respond, as Lev had already run up to the actors.

“Ah! Nice to meet you, I’m Haiba Lev. I’m going to become the lead actor one day!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Lev had introduced himself to Semi and then Tendou, and the two actors introduced themselves in return.

“Oh? You’re ambitious kid.” Tendou’s interest was piqued by the young but tall newbie who stood over him.

“Give me the chance and I’ll prove to you, Tendou-san, that I can be the lead!” Not at all to Inuoka’s surprise, Lev was already challenging the leads. In fact Lev had said the same thing to Inuoka the day they had met too. 

“Come and put this on then.” Tendou respond. He was up for the challenge, holding out a large red cape in his arms.

“Eh? That cape?” Lev walked over to Tendou and took the cape from his hands, draping it over his shoulders. It only reached up to the back of his knees but fit snugly across his shoulders. In a matter of moments, the two were both posing in front of the mirror together. 

“Whoa, Tendou-san, I really feel like the lead right now!!” Lev said, in the midst of finger-shooting himself in the mirror.

Shaking his head with a smile, Semi thought to himself that the two seemed to be getting along well. “Shirabu, is he a foreigner?” he asked.

“He’s half-Russian but he’s lived here his whole life I think. He’s working under Kenma-san; he’s the casting director you met this morning, do you remember him?” Shirabu questioned.

“Ah, the one with Kuroo?”

“Yeah.” Shirabu began to laugh. “Lev’s always getting yelled at though.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“LEEEEEEEEEVVVVV!” A sudden and loud voice yelled out from behind Semi, scaring him out of his mind. He turned around, curious to learn who the voice belonged to, and was shocked to see a young man much smaller than he had expected. While Semi didn’t recognise him, going by the guilty look on his face, Lev certainly did.

“Ah — Yaku-san!” Lev had backed himself into the mirror with his hands raised, clearly worried about Yaku approaching him. Semi glanced at Shirabu who was smiling at the scene unfolding before them. _‘Looks like this is what he meant,’_ he thought with a laugh.

“Lev, what are you doing?!” Reaching up to the cape on Lev’s back, Yaku pulled on it and brought him down to his eye level. “Shouldn’t you be with Kenma now?”

“Ah but Yaku-san-”

Yaku swiftly interrupted him and turned to Semi and Shirabu to apologise. “I’m sorry about this kid, he keeps getting distracted from what he’s actually meant to be doing.”

“Oh really there’s no need, he simply introduced himself to us. We didn’t meet at the meeting this morning – I’m Semi Eita, the other lead actor.” Semi offered his hand for a handshake. 

Clasping Semi’s hand, Yaku responded, “I’m Yaku Morisuke. Shirabu and I are working together as the costume designers for this production, along with Kai and your colleague Kawanishi-kun.” Letting go of his hand, Yaku flashed him a smile and then moved back to Lev.

“Oi Inuoka, can you come here?” Yaku called out.

 _Huh? Me?_  Inuoka almost jumped from being spoken to so suddenly. He had been watching the group so intently as he learnt small things about them, and was now thoroughly embarrassed at how distracted he had been; or rather most distracted by Semi. _Ahh.. what’s happening to me?_ He knew he needed to hurry over to Yaku but he was feeling increasingly flustered about meeting the new actors. In an effort to regain his composure before going over, he quickly turned around out of view and slapped his cheeks. _Come on, Sou._  With a final deep breath, he turned back and ran over to Yaku and the others.

“Yaku-san, what is it?” he said, his voice slightly louder than normal.

“Can you take Lev back to where Kenma is? I don’t know where he is now though.” Just as Yaku was about to use his phone to call Kenma, Lev spoke up.

“OH I know where he is! It’s okay, Inuoka-kun, I’ll go by myself! Bye Yaku-san, and everyone else! I’ll prove to you another time that I’ll be the lead soon!” And with that, he simply threw off his cape and began to run off. Unfortunately for him, he almost tripped on the way to the office rooms and Yaku started laughing straight away.

Inuoka on the other hand was almost totally focused on Semi, only barely noticing that Lev had left without him. _He’s even more stunning up close_ _,_  he thought. He was just a bit shorter than Inuoka, which surprised him, as his slender figure had at first made him appear taller. His hair seemed as thought it would be soft to the touch, and the dark tips closest to his skin complemented his slightly pale complexion. Without realising what he was doing, Inuoka attracted Semi’s attention fairly quickly. Blushing slightly, Semi quickly lifted his hands up to his cheeks.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Huh?” Inuoka was confused. _Why would he ask if_ _–_ _oh._  He soon caught on and registered that he had in fact been staring. He quickly lifted up his hands, waving them around and shaking his head at the same time as he said, “No, I’m sorry!” repeatedly.

Yaku had rarely seen Inuoka act like this and became a little bit worried. “Are you okay? Maybe you need a break; you’ve been working for hours non stop.” He threw him a water bottle as he spoke.

“Ah no, Yaku-san, I’m completely fine!” Inuoka quickly laughed it off, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment before drinking some water.

“Oh yeah, Inuoka, you haven’t met him either, right?” Yaku asked. “He’s the other lead.”

“I’m Semi Eita.” Once again he reached out his hand with a smile.

“I’m Inuoka Sou. I’m working with your colleague Goshiki-kun on the set design. It’s nice to meet you, Semi-san!” Inuoka was afraid of his clammy hands giving away his nervousness and promptly let go of Semi’s hand, but he was proud of himself for at least making it through his introduction without stuttering.

“Oh, may I call you Sou-kun?” Semi asked directly. Tendou, who was still playing with the costumes, raised an eyebrow at hearing this. It wasn’t often that Semi was so forward with someone he had just met. 

 _Oh my god._ Inuoka was momentarily lost for words. _Semi-san wants to call ME by my first name? Wait no no, it probably means nothing._ He recalled Goshiki telling him that his senior colleagues all called one other and their younger friends by first name. _That’s right, it’s probably just for a sense of familiarity right? So all the cast and crew can be close? Yeah, of course, that’s what it is._

“Yes that’s okay, Semi-san!” Without giving himself a chance to see anything else in it, he responded with as much vigour as he could muster. Semi smiled at him again, this time even brighter.

“Hey Eita, don’t forget it’s your turn for measurements,” Tendou interrupted, reminding Semi what he had come here for.

“Ah yeah, right, sorry!” Semi swiftly unbuttoned his white dress shirt and proceeded to take it off. He folded it neatly and was about to place it beside Tendou’s shirt which had just been thrown on the desk, when he looked up at Inuoka.

“Sou-kun, can you hold this for me please?” With another graceful smile, Inuoka could only feel as though he was being dragged in by Semi’s charm. He reached out and took the shirt from him, and hastily moved to sit up on the high table behind him. As his legs dangled around, he placed the shirt in his lap so as not to damage it with his clammy grip.

Without missing a beat Shirabu laughed as he moved towards Semi. “Technically you didn’t need to take off your shirt, but now that it’s off it doesn’t matter,” he said. He lifted up Semi’s arms and began measuring immediately. Semi, once again, started blushing, with blood rushing to his cheeks and even his ears this time. He glanced up at Inuoka, who was looking out the window and felt mildly relieved.

Semi may have been under the assumption he hadn’t been paying attention, but for Inuoka that was far from the truth. Remembering the awkwardness of staring before, he was making as much use of his willpower as possible to not look this time. He had already seen Semi earlier when he passed his shirt to him, and that image wasn’t one he was forgetting anytime soon. But he soon couldn’t help himself and turned back to watch Shirabu take his measurements.

Inuoka had at first thought that Semi was quite lean, but in fact he had well toned muscles that gave off an aura of hidden strength and reliability. He was in awe of how he could move with the grace and beauty of a swan while looking like a trained athlete. He was speaking to both Shirabu and Yaku as his measurements were being taken and continued to do so when they were done, asking all sorts of questions about the costume design process.

 _He really looks like a model,_  Inuoka thought, watching as Semi stood still in his tight black dress pants with his forearms crossed over his bare chest. He was overwhelmed with a sense of pride and admiration that his theatre now had such a captivating man in its team. The coming weeks of production were always the toughest, but Inuoka felt as though they might not be so bad this time if Semi was around.

\-------  

Semi cleared his throat, bringing Inuoka out of his reverie, almost startling him. “I’m... ah... sorry about Tsutomu, you don’t have to..” - but before Semi could finish, Inuoka had already stepped closer to try and help Semi with his costume change. He softly grabbed onto Semi's wrist and lifted up both of his arms, tugging the shirt off his shoulders at the same time. 

"Whoa Semi-san is getting really red!! Ah I'm sorry did I hurt you? Are you okay? Do you need some water?" Inuoka had thrown himself into a panic, worried he had tried too hastily to remove the costume without being careful.

Semi responded quickly, brushing it off. “Oh you’re fine, I’m just a bit stuffy,” he replied. By now he had been able to ease off the shirt and was about to pick up the next costume. Before he could, Inuoka reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of water and forced it into Semi’s hands.

“Here Semi-san, you have to drink this.” Inuoka’s stern voice moved him into action and he hastily obliged, drinking too quickly. He ended up spilling some water that ran down his torso and was about to wipe it off when Inuoka threw the full navy costume into his hands this time, covering Semi’s chest in the process.

With a quick laugh he spoke up: “You should be okay now right, Semi-san? Sorry, I have to go back now!” And with that he bowed, turned, and speedily returned to his work station.

While his back was still facing Semi's direction, he took a few deep breathes bringing his hand up to his beating heart. _Oh man, it's getting worse.'_ He had hoped by the amount of times he'd seen Semi without his shirt on during costume changes that he would've become accustomed to it by now, but it was quite the opposite. He never felt like his usual easy-going self, and had run off on countless occasions to avoid feeling flustered. Pushing away his worrisome thoughts, he went back to focusing on his work but he just couldn't shake it off. He wasn't sure what to do but he figured now was a good time to get a breath of fresh air, and silently stepped outside of the theatre.

Semi was almost no better. With only a few minutes before he needed to be back on stage, he had begun pacing on the spot trying to place his attention on his lines. _Oh my god, I must’ve looked like an idiot. Since when have I ever gotten my shirt stuck?_

With an exasperated sigh he stopped pacing and sat down in the chair nearest to the stage. After a few deep breathes he began speaking to himself quietly. “Back straight, shoulders rolled back. You’ll be fine, Eita.” Over the years, Semi had come to the realisation that he was most composed when he focused on his posture. Without fail, his breathing evened out and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He stood up, ready for the scene change, as he saw Tendou approaching him from the stage.

“Red’s a good colour on you,” Tendou said with a smirk. Knowing he was only wearing navy clothing, Semi caught on quickly. He brought his hands up to his face and felt how warm his cheeks were. Turns out the posture technique wasn't as effective as he always thought it was. But he didn't have a chance for a rebuttal as it was his time to be on stage. While he walked towards the spotlight there was only one thing on his mind. He was starting to fall for Inuoka and he had no idea what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a huuuuuuge thank you to my friends for convincing me to write this, especially Viv and Julie with all the ideas and help, and Isy aka [memorde](http://archiveofourown.org/users/memorde/pseuds/memorde) for the beta and the super useful writing tips!!


	2. My Heart Is Filled With Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo, Ushijima and Kai feature in this chapter - just a few words, also Kenma (only in appearance)

For Semi, there was nothing quite like performing on stage. As a growing young actor, he had dabbled in movies and short films for some time, but he quickly realised the stage was the one place he felt truly at home. The exhilaration of every performance made him feel so alive. Everything coming together in an instant – the music, lighting, amazing sets, and the audience all working together to make the actors shine; to make him shine. Even his own senses gave him an array of sensations on the stage. The sound of his feet on the wooden floor, the sharp feeling of his cool sweat dripping down his skin, warm from the lighting. 

Semi had always thought that to be able to act on the stage was like stepping into a new world. It was a peculiar feeling - to leave behind the parts of him that made him the Semi Eita that his friends and family knew, and to become only the character the audience would know him as. And as much Semi relished in the moments of glory, he could never quite forget just how easily things could go wrong. Lines forgotten, accidental tripping, set disasters; you name it - it had happened. Yet somehow, all the mishaps were as much as a part of what he loved about theatre as was the smooth sailing. But as he sat backstage after the night's show was over, with a wet towel on his forehead cooling him down, he felt most at peace. 

Many of his fondest memories were from the times he spent with his cast and crew, both spontaneous ones and moments during production. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. Tendou was sitting quietly beside him with his towel fully covering his face while everyone else was moving around loudly, packing things away. Lev and Kenma were both sitting on a bench with Lev speaking loudly to Kenma. Unfortunately for Lev, Kenma seemed more preoccupied with the documents in his hands than the one sided conversation. Further away, Shirabu was sorting out the costumes, separating them between ones that would need to be washed for the next week and others that didn’t need to be. Kai and Kawanishi stood beside him, helping him out and discussing if any adjustments needed to be made. Semi laughed as he realised they were holding the shirt he had gotten stuck in earlier. “So embarrassing…” he muttered with a shake of his head. 

He began thinking again of what Inuoka must have thought about his shirt debacle and was curious as to where he was now. Glancing around, Semi found him quickly, his radiant smile catching his eye. He watched as Inuoka counted props, sitting together with Goshiki on a drama block. Despite the two of them being over 180 cm in height, they somehow both fit on the small block comfortably. As they counted and cleaned props together, Semi could hear them cracking jokes and laughing. He began to smile too as he watched, captivated in particular by Inuoka.

Since the first day he had laid his eyes on him, Inuoka was almost always smiling. His energy and enthusiasm was always contagious, and the rest of the cast and crew was easily swept up in his rhythm. But not only did Semi often feel warm and fuzzy thinking about Inuoka’s lively personality, his heart often fluttered simply from looking at him. His broad and beaming smile and the way his eyes lit up with excitement all too often, even the sound of his laughter ringing in his ears; Semi felt as though his heart might just leap out of his chest. 

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, he barely noticed Tendou moving from his still position.  
"You’re blushing again," Tendou whispered into Semi’s ear. 

Semi jumped, the towel from his forehead dropping into his lap. “What the fu–" 

Semi’s heart had certainly leapt out of his chest this time, and not for the reason he wanted. He was a bit surprised at how easily he blushed when it came to Inuoka, and also a bit bitter that Tendou caught him almost every time. Tendou, on the other hand, had returned back to his seat and was leaning back with his eyes closed and an obvious grin on his face. Semi certainly wanted to give him an earful for scaring him but, as he saw Yaku approaching the group with the co-directors Ushijima and Kuroo, he simply leaned back in his chair too, waiting for the two to speak. 

"Whoa Yaku-san you look like their teenage son when you stand in between Ushijima-san and Kuroo-san!" Lev called out from the other side of the hall. Half the cast and crew fell silent while the rest stifled their laughter knowing full well what Yaku would do. With a few long strides Yaku quickly walked over to Lev and flicked his forehead. Lev yelled out, bringing his hands to his head in the same moment that Yaku pushed him off the bench and took his seat. 

"Yaku-saaaaaaaaan!"

Yaku simply grinned at hearing Lev’s cries. Without much of a choice Lev just settled on the floor beside him. 

"Lucky for Yaku that Lev was sitting down this time," Tendou said to Semi. He was right to a degree, but they both laughed knowing that that hadn’t stopped Yaku before. A good kick to the shin and Lev would been down on his knees regardless. 

"Ahem." Kuroo cleared his throat loudly, capturing everyone’s attention. "Ushijima, you first."

"Right. Everyone, as usual you did very well. Everything went smoothly. Good work." Succinct and clear as always. That was the director Semi admired. 

"Eh, Wakatoshi don’t you have anything else to say??" Tendou called out. Semi sighed. Satori you troublemaker.

"No, I don’t." And there was the reply from Ushijima that everyone expected. It wasn’t uncommon for this same conversation to happen almost weekly but it still brought a smile to Semi’s face, knowing that his two friends hadn’t changed all that much over the ten years they had all known each other. 

"Anyway." Once again, Kuroo brought everyone's attention back to him. "It's finally the end of Sunday's show, so congratulations on making it through four nights in a row without dying," he said with a grin. Just like Ushijima and Tendou's weekly banter, Kuroo always ended their week with the same message. Kai quickly stepped up beside him. 

"Oh, and don’t forget, everyone - we have the team dinner, so let’s have everything packed and cleaned soon." Kai's gentle voice normally would have calmed down everyone’s laughter but instead brought an excited cheer, with everyone anticipating their team dinner. After some quick celebratory applause, everyone went back to cleaning or moved around to help each other out. 

Unexpectedly, Goshiki quickly leapt up and grabbed hold of Semi. Without uttering a word, he pulled him over to where Shirabu was now standing alone with the costumes. Semi glanced back to check on Tendou and saw he was helping Inuoka. Oh no. What is that idiot doing with that look on his face? was all he could think, but Semi didn’t have a chance to worry for long with Goshiki vying for his attention. 

"Semi-san, how did it go?" asked Goshiki. He was looking at Semi, eagerly expecting a response. 

But Semi was utterly confused. "Huh?"

"The costume change," muttered Shirabu. 

"Wait- Shirabu, how do you know about that?!" Semi paled. It was embarrassing enough for Goshiki to bring it up, let alone finding out Shirabu knew. Shirabu simply turned around to face Semi, flashed him a smile, and turned back to the costumes. This kid…

"Yeah, Semi-san, what happened?"

"Wait, nothing happened, what on earth could even happen?"

"Ehhh- but I even set everything up for you, Semi-san!" Goshiki’s face fell with disappointment while Shirabu let out a soft laugh.

"Why are you two acting like there’s something going on?" Semi’s palms became clammy as he held onto the clothes rack. Surely… no one but Satori knew, right? 

"What do you mean Semi-san, everyone knows you like Inuoka-kun," Goshiki said, almost too loudly. OH MY GOD. In a panic Semi hastily covered up Goshiki’s mouth, shushing him in the process. But as Goshiki’s words began to sink in, Semi’s beating heart soon began to slow and his hands dropped down beside him. Is that why he’s been almost avoiding me? Does Sou-kun know too? 

Shirabu silently watched as Semi’s faced changed. His flushed cheeks were returning to their normally light complexion and Semi wondered if Shirabu thought he was calming down when he was really feeling more upset than anything. 

"I don’t think Inuoka knows though," he spoke up. 

"Yeah Semi-san! Don’t worry, I haven’t said anything!" Looking up, Semi saw Goshiki smiling brightly as he gave him a thumbs up. Yeah. He’s right, I shouldn’t worry. Semi smiled back at him. Whether Inuoka did in fact know about his feelings or not, it was something he could deal with later. And maybe it wasn’t actually the end of the world if he did know. 

"But are you really sure that everyone knows? Like - EVERYONE?" Semi asked. 

"Yeah," replied Shirabu. 

"Damn… am I that obvious?" 

"Yes and no. It’s not necessarily obvious alone, but you only act that way around him and all the other members of the old production crew figured it out pretty quickly."

"But Semi-san, more importantly, what are you going to do now? Are you going to confess?" Again, Semi brought his hands up to cover Goshiki’s mouth to silence him but he quickly apologised and zipped his lips shut, almost like a child. 

Semi knew there was no way he could confess to Inuoka now. He wasn’t that ready to deal with his feelings, even if he had finally acknowledged he liked the boy. 

"How about you go with him to the dinner," Shirabu suggested. 

"What do you mean? We always all go together in the coach bus, though." Why is the kid the one giving me advice, Semi thought. He really thinks he knows everything, doesn’t he? As much as he wanted to figure out another option himself, Semi couldn’t help but feel like Shirabu was onto something.

Goshiki suddenly gasped. "Semi-san, didn’t you say you had to pick something up before going home today? Ask Inuoka-kun to go with you!" Semi felt like he could hug him then and there. So he did. 

"Ah, Tsutomu you’re a genius!" In an unexpected moment of elation Semi embraced him without thinking, causing Goshiki’s arm to be trapped in between them. But it didn’t bother Goshiki all that much. 

"Ha, well, of course I’m a genius," he said with pride. "But Semi-san, I, uh - can’t breathe."

"Oh!" Semi promptly let go and laughed to see that Goshiki was still smiling despite almost suffocating in his hug. Not even a lack of oxygen could dampen his spirits and Semi was truly grateful for him, and even Shirabu a bit. Just as Goshiki had suggested, Semi now had an excuse to be with Inuoka on the way to the team dinner but he had almost no clue on how to actually ask him. Maybe I can make someone else ask… no, I should do it. But can I really do it??!? His eyebrows were furrowed and he was chewing on his lower lip, attracting not only Shirabu’s attention once again, but even Goshiki’s. 

"Don’t you think you should just hurry up and ask Inuoka before he leaves himself?” Shirabu said. “Tsutomu, call him over."

"INUOKA-KUN!!" Goshiki yelled out loudly amidst all the other noise consuming the backstage hall space. For Semi it was becoming something of a routine to never have a chance to respond to the whims of his friends. And as he realised that behind him Inuoka was in fact running over at that exact moment, he merely gave up trying to fight it, but not without swiftly throwing Shirabu a glare as he and Goshiki moved further away from Semi and the approaching Inuoka. 

"Ah, Semi-san, where did Goshiki-kun go?" Inuoka spoke up behind Semi. Hearing his voice, Semi felt as though Inuoka was much closer to him than he had at first expected him to be. Taking a step forward first, he turned around to face Inuoka. 

"Oh, I think he had to go get something from the stage." Semi smiled nervously. His confidence was one of his strongest assets, and yet recently whenever Inuoka was around, it always escaped him. As his eyes darted around, he noticed Goshiki's head peeking out from behind the stage curtain. Does he not realise how obvious he is? Before Inuoka had a chance to notice Goshiki, Semi spoke up quickly. 

"Ah, by the way, Sou-kun, are you going to the dinner?" 

"Yeah of course! Are you not going, Semi-san?" Inuoka asked with a frown.

"Oh, no, I'm going! I, ah, wanted to ask you something." Semi glanced up to see Inuoka patiently waiting for him to speak. With a deep breathe he continued. "Do you want to come with me to pick something up before the dinner? It's furniture so it's a bit heavy and I don't think I can handle it myself." Unable to look Inuoka in the eye, Semi looked towards the curtains again and saw Goshiki giving him a thumbs up with a grin. 

'Nice job, Semi-san!' he mouthed. If it wasn't for Goshiki, Semi wasn't sure if he would've been able to do that. He made a mental note to buy him dinner as thanks. 

"Oh, is that what you wanted to ask me? Sure, I'll come with you! I'll go tell Kuroo-san and get my stuff." And with that he ran off again. 

"Meet me in the car park!" Semi yelled out. Without realising, he had attracted the attention of everyone else in the theatre. Shit. He heard a soft whistle nearby and turned to see Tendou grinning at him. 

"Oh?" With a sinister grin, Tendou stepped up beside Semi and watched as that familiar cherry flush covered his cheeks. "Did you finally ask him out, Eita?" 

With a swift knock to the back of his head, Semi responded. "No, you idiot." 

"Your face says otherwise." Tendou was laughing as he cautiously protected the back of his head, anticipating a second hit, but he couldn't help himself when it came to riling up Semi. To his surprise, that hit never came. He glanced at Semi and saw him looking down at his shoes bashfully. 

"I didn’t. Not really anyway."

"Do you want to?"

"Huh?" Semi looked up at Tendou. He wasn’t wearing his usual mischievous grin, his eyes unwavering as he stared back at Semi.

"Do you want to ask him out?"

Do I? Semi wasn't sure how serious he was about all this. Considering the fact that they were in the middle of the show's season, they would have little time to go out on dates for a while. But to even think about that would be to assume Inuoka would say yes. Would he? While Semi was slowly understanding his own feelings a bit more, he had little clue as to how Inuoka might feel about him. If anything, it seemed like Inuoka was choosing to spend more time away from Semi, than with him. Maybe he doesn't like me... is it worth asking Tsutomu to ask him? Or should I not? Oh man, what do I do? If I do nothing - nothing's going to change, but if I do something stupid I could ruin the way things are now. 

Without coming anywhere closer to a conclusion, he sighed. Taking on a 'save it for later' attitude, he took a deep breathe and decide to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. 

"Ahem, more importantly, what were you saying to Sou-kun before? Please don't tell me you said something stupid."

"Aw, when have I ever done that?"

"The last time I was interested in someone, you told them about the time I got drunk at a beach in the middle of the night and threw up on myself." Semi looked at Tendou with a mixture of 'I'll never forget' and 'I still want to kill you' but even he had to admit it was a pretty good story. 

"Why is the ocean not blue, Satori? Why? NO WAIT - I’VE SOLVED IT. I THINK THE OCEAN IS DARK NOW BECAUSE IT’S NIGHT," Tendou yelled, imitating Semi with a high pitched and drunken voice. He was surprised he managed to make it through to the end of that sentence without being clocked in the face by Semi, but fortunately for Tendou he managed to move out of reach quickly enough before that happened. Not so fortunately for him - he still did get hit in the end. 

"I swear to fucking God if you told Sou-kun that…"

"I’ll tell you what I said if you ask him out on a date," Tendou responded, grinning. 

Semi could only sigh. His shoulders slumped back down and his body became less tense as he thought about what Tendou had just said. He had known Tendou long enough to know nothing would change his stubborn mind. If he wanted answers, it looked like Semi really had to do the one thing he was more terrified of than anything else; even more so than a major slip up on stage. 

"Semi-san!" Tendou and Semi both turned around at the sound of Inuoka’s voice. He was walking over to them, holding his bags and waving with a smile. Turning his back to Inuoka again, Tendou grabbed Semi’s shoulder with a squeeze. 

"Don’t fuck up, Eita."

Semi glanced sideways to see Tendou’s face, the same unwavering look as earlier. Yeah, you’re right. I have to do this. I can do this. He grinned. 

"I don’t need you to tell me that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU AGAIN TO BELOVED ISY FOR THE BETA *touches screen* i love isy


End file.
